Jed Rothwell wrote: > And that wasn't for lack of searching. The Russians dispatched expeditions to the epicenter early on, when it was easy to find. They subsequently conducted extensive searches and excavations. As I recall they send people every year.
> Sometimes a lack of evidence is inconclusive because you cannot rule out the possibility that you have just haven't found it yet. In this case I expect there really isn't anything to be found. Another possibility is more ominous. That would be that there is something truly alien and perhaps invisible (as in ... well ... mirror matter) yet very valuable if and when found, and once you understand how to refine, use and contain it. If there was mirror matter or any other exotic species in the original asteroid, and lots of it survived, then tons could be hidden away inside, or beside, normal "dirt". For that alien material to be extremely valuable, it would most likely need to have the physical property of combining violently with normal matter to become extremely energetic. And hello. That is a pretty good description of what happened in 1907, no? Presumably that energy potential would need to require a high threshold 'trigger' or else it would all be gone by now. Jones Ps. Glad the cold war is in remission. Pps. Heck, the Ruskies might even want to sell the stuff to us. Red mercury, only invisible ;-) Ppps. Maybe they will try anyway... time for the sequel to the Emperor's New Clothes ?
